This invention relates to an electrical connector and in particular to an electrical connector having a solderable mechanical retention feature that can be attached to the connector housing subsequent to molding thereof.
Known retention means to secure a connector to a printed circuit board include rivets, bolts and nuts, plastic snap lock posts and heat stakes. U.S. Pat. No. 4,231,628 discloses an electrical connector for mounting on a printed circuit board. Support or mounting posts are formed on the same carrier strip as the conductor blanks. The mounting posts and conductor blanks are formed, severed from the carrier strip and integrally molded into the housing.
It would be desirable to have a solderable connector retention means that could be secured in the housing subsequent to molding and that would secure a connector to a printed circuit board in the same soldering process as secures the connector solder tails and other components to the board thus avoiding working on both sides of the printed circuit board as many of the known connector securing techniques require. Attaching the solderable retention means to the housing subsequent to molding would simplify the molding process.